New-Fangled Bicycle Helmets: Not Just Brain Buckets Anymore

The ICEdot sensor can work with a bicycle rider's smartphone, where an app can detect motion, changes in forces and notably impacts. In the case of a traumatic crash, it can call for help and even send GPS coordinates. As many cyclists are now using smartphones as cycling computers to track speed, distance, heart rate and calories, this takes it a step further as a "Life-Line" type of product.

By Peter Suciu
09/21/12 5:00 AM PT

There is no denying that serious cyclists adopt some very specific
forms of fashion. The jerseys and shorts are tight-fitting to reduce
drag, gloves are worn both to provide padding while gripping the
handlebars and to protect hands during a crash, and shoes are a
fashion statement all of their own. But one piece of equipment has
become somewhat ubiquitous among casual and hardcore riders alike these days
-- the bicycle helmet.

The truth is that many still opt not to wear helmets for a
plethora of reasons -- from daily bicycle commuters who worry that it
could mess up their hair, to old school racers convinced they "know how to fall." However,
despite such reluctance, it's clear that a helmet -- or "brain bucket," as cyclists tend to
think of it -- does offer protection, especially in a serious crash.

Yet much of the development in the past decade has been to make
helmets more stylish, more breathable and more comfortable.
These factors no doubt will encourage riders to wear a helmet -- but safety
improvements remain slow in coming.

"We're seeing things like helmets
that have larger vents, which makes them cooler, but that doesn't
really matter for safety," said Randy Swart, director of the
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.

Technology Add-Ons

The materials used in helmets are essentially the same: a polystyrene foam body with a plastic outer
shell. This material typically provides a reasonable amount of
protection should a bicycle rider fall or crash.

A few companies have added lights to helmets to help alert drivers at
night, but one problem is that add-ons can interfere with how a helmet is designed to protect a rider. The
biggest culprit is actually the wearable action camera that riders
have increasingly been mounting to helmets. This provides a blunt
object that can damage the helmet and even cause an increased chance
of neck injury.

"Anything that goes on the outside of the helmet should flip off
immediately," said Swart. "Many of the action cameras that mount to
the helmets are held on with Velcro, and these don't tend to get
knocked off so easily. The outside of the helmet needs to be round to
help deflect some energy."

However, not all the add-on products are so intrusive, and one new
technology that is being shown at this week's Interbike trade show in
Las Vegas could actually work in conjunction with a helmet to save a
rider's life following a catastrophic crash.

The ICEdot sensor doesn't
fundamentally change a helmet's shape or protection characteristics. What it
does do is call for help should the wearer be unable to do so.

"It's a small device that will attach to the helmet," said ICEdot CEO,
Chris Zenthoefer. "It won't alter the helmet's structure or fit in any
way."

Call for Help

The ICEdot sensor can work with a bicycle rider's smartphone, where an
app can detect motion, changes in forces and notably impacts. In the
case of a traumatic crash, it can call for help and even send GPS
coordinates. As many cyclists are now using smartphones as cycling
computers to track speed, distance, heart rate and calories, this takes
it a step further as a "Life-Line" type of product.

In this way it could also encourage riders to bring a phone. While
some riders may want to "get away from everything," the ability to
call for help shouldn't one of them, noted Zenthoefer.

The ICEdot also could encourage riders to wear a helmet, but
Zenthoefer is less convinced of that and pointed out that the
sensor and app do not serve as a reactive device for a crash.

"I think it is proactive," Zenthoefer told TechNewsWorld. "A helmet
can only go so far to protect your head but often it's not just the
[straight-line] impact, but the angle of rotation that is more dangerous when you fall ... .
We're measuring both and helping people
be more aware of what has happened to them in a crash and getting help
to them in case it is needed. We're taking the idea of the helmet one
step further -- protection plus a call for help."

Because this is a device that attaches to a helmet, it could have
potential for many other fitness activities.

"We're going after bikes first because that's what we do and know,"
said Zenthoefer. "However, it makes a lot of sense for snow sports,
rock climbing, kayaking, motorcycles -- anyone that wears a helmet."

Wind in the Hair

The ICEdot isn't the only technology that can respond and react to a
crash.
Hövding has created what it
bills "the Invisible Helmet." While it may be more apt to call it
"the inflatable helmet," it works by being there only when a rider actually
needs it.

Invisible Helmet

When it's not deployed, the fashion-centric "helmet" is actually worn
around the neck as a collar. Obviously this isn't aimed at serious
mountain bikers or road cyclists but at commuters who want the
wind in their hair rather than a brain bucket on their head.

"Our aim has always been to develop a helmet that would be so
attractive that more cyclists would start protecting their heads in
traffic," said Terese Alstin, founder of Hövding.

"The project started
out with an extensive research with the purpose to understand why so
few people wear bicycle helmets. When we asked people what they'd ideally like the bicycle helmet of
tomorrow to look like, they wished for something discrete that could
match their different outfits, something that wouldn't ruin the hair --
and one person even said he wished for an invisible bicycle helmet,"
Alstin told TechNewsWorld.

"Hövding is the result of all the feedback
from our research," she continued. "We took into consideration even the most
challenging requests from the cyclists, which is why I'm convinced
that this product will encourage people who normally wouldn't wear a
helmet to start protecting their heads on the roads."

The helmet works by reacting to the motion of a rider and inflates
when it detects sudden movement that is registered as a fall or crash.
But is that enough?

"What happens when you hit a tree limb or hit a bus mirror with your
forehead?" asked Swart. "It is great new technology, and I like the
idea that someone is working on the problem -- but there are a million
questions with this one and no answers."

Peter Suciu is a freelance writer who has covered consumer electronics, technology, electronic entertainment and fitness-related trends for more than a decade. His work has appeared in more than three dozen publications, and he is the co-author of Careers in the Computer Game Industry (Career in the New Economy series), a career guide aimed at high school students from Rosen
Publishing.